Friday, January 09, 2009

Sure, she did a show on puppy mills, became a strict vegetarian for a heartbeat and dedicated a show to her dead dog. Her actions also reminded everybody of the double-standard by which most people live: Some animals are our beloved friends, while other animals are our tasty food. The fact that Oprah can get a pat on the back from an animal welfarist organization like PETA for purportedly being a powerful voice for animals as she continues to eat them is no surprise. All this award does is drill home that PETA thinks it's OK to be a hypocrite.

2 comments:

I really don't get the fascination people have with Oprah. What is the big deal? Oprah did this, Oprah did that. And? The entertainment industry is hardly the place to look for role models, in my opinion. It is unfortunate that people do.

As for PETA and double standards, I've often wondered if it is generally expected that one has to be vegan to be a PETA supporter or be part of PETA personnel. I remember donating to them and spreading circus and fur boycotting information from their website long before I became vegetarian and started thinking of all animals as being the same.

You are right, of course, that publicizing the double standard is not a very effective way to get the message out. There are other, far more committed, celebrities PETA can count on to spread their message.

I understand why PETA opts to associate itself with celebrities. It's the same way any business looks for a famous and sort of "trusted" face to promote it. By giving celebrities these token awards, PETA is just giving itself an excuse to associate itself with them. It's more about reputation than actual substance. There are people who devote their lives to animal causes who'll die without ever receiving any significant recognition whom I'd rather see getting recognition, but at the end of the day, I know that people who are really busting their arses for the cause aren't looking for a pat on the back. Their satisfaction must come from making a difference.

You and I have argued over PETA before, here and elsewhere. I'd really rather not have to rehash it here right now, but can post something more elaborate about why I feel strongly about abolishing the use of animals later this week so that maybe you'll be able to better understand my stance. I see animal welfarism as merely making people more comfortable about eating animals and that disgusts me.